Rabat – Moroccan boxer Widad Bertal has secured her place in the quarterfinals of the women’s 54 kg category at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Bertal triumphed in the Round of 16, defeating Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong by a close judges’ decision (3-2).
Earlier this week, Moroccan fighter Yasmine Mouttaki was eliminated in the Round of 32 in the women’s 50 kg category, losing to the Philippines’ Aira Villegas by a unanimous decision (5-0).
The Moroccan boxing team is also represented by Khadija El Mardi, who is scheduled to compete against Chantelle Reid tomorrow in the Round of 16.
A boxer in the bantamweight (54kg) division, Bertal claimed the gold medal in her weight class at the 2023 African Games in Ghana. She also secured the top prize at the 2023 Arab Games in Algeria.
In 2023, Bertal participated in the bantamweight category at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in India. Later that year, she earned another gold medal at the African Amateur Boxing Championships in Cameroon.
Bertal qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris by competing at the African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Senegal in September last year.
For the Paris 2024 Olympics, there are 248 quota spots available for eligible boxers, evenly split between men and women. France has allocated up to six of these spots for their boxers, with the quota divided equally between male and female competitors in their respective weight classes.
In the football Olympics, Morocco’s U-23 football team will play against Iraq today in their final group stage match, which is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. local time.
Morocco began the tournament with a notable win in a contentious match, defeating Argentina 2-1. However, the Atlas Lions experienced a setback in their second game, falling 2-1 to Ukraine.
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